The Dead of Winter
by 177624601
Summary: The day before the second anniversary of their first date, Sam mistakes Danny trying to resuscitate Valerie for cheating. As a final attempt to show her he really does love her, he writes her a love letter and takes her on a wild ride. Please review.
1. Chapter 1

"Valerie, I know you don't trust me, but we'll have to set aside our differences if we want to take Skulker down!" Danny sad, barely evading a missile, courtesy of Valerie Grey, which wound up hitting Skulker right in the gut. "Nice shot, though."

"Too bad, Ghost Boy!"

_Well, __at __least __she __didn't __call __me __"Inviso-bill."_ "What about 'The enemy of my enemy is my friend'? Well, he's more of an enemy than I am.'

"Good point. You know this guy better than I do, what's your plan?"

_Umm, __plan__… __plan__… __ah, __crud. _So Danny said the first thing that came to mind. "You take the right, I'll go in on the left."

"Gotcha."

Bad move. Evidently, Skulker was right-handed, so with a swift blow, knocked Valerie unconscious.

"Oh, man, this is gonna suck."

"It sees she will make a fine addition to the décor." Skulker said with a grin

"Not if I have anything to say about it, metal mouth!" Danny said, sending a couple of ecto-blasts his way. Boof! Bam! Crunch! Two roundhouse kicks to the head and Skulker was down for the count. "Now to help Valerie."

When he fund her, she was alive, just passed out, so Danny set to work trying to resuscitate her by giving her mouth-to-mouth. He had just started, when who's voice should he hear, but Sam Manson's. _Oh, __that's __right, __we __were __supposed __to __go __to __the __movies, __I'm __late, _Danny thought.

"Danny! Where have you been, I've been looking everywhere for you, we were supposed to go see- Is that Valerie!" She asked, tears welling up in those deep, amethyst eyes. "We've been going out for two years, and you'd throw away our love for your ex! If you want her, you can have her, we're through, Danny Fenton!"

Danny, who was too shocked to speak, had finally found the right words.

"Sam wait, it's not what you think!"

But it was too late, she was out of earshot. He got out his cell phone and dialed 911.

"Hello, Amity General Hospital, how may I help you?"

"Yes, this is Danny Fenton. I'm in the park and I've just found Valerie Gray unconscious."

Looking around, Danny replied, "I'm right by the footbridge that goes over the brook."

"Someone will be right over."

"Thank you. Bye. Well, I'd better wait with you until someone arrives." He said to Valerie as he hung up the phone.

"You didn't happen to see anything, did you, son?" one of the paramedics asked.

"No, now if you'll excuse me, I've got places to be."

As soon as they were out of sight, Danny went ghost and flew off, intangible. _I've __gotta __find __Sam __and __sort __out __this __whole __thing. _Danny looked everywhere, the school, her house; he even asked Tucker if he knew where to find her. Tired of looking Danny tried one last spot: the oak tree where they ended their first date. When he got there, he saw her silently weeping while reading something he had carved in the tree two years ago with his pocket knife: "D.F. & S.M. 4ev-r 11/29" in a heart. He had carved it on their first date.

"Tomorrow was supposed to be our two year anniversary."

"Sam?"

"Go away." She croaked as a single tear rolled down her ivory cheek.

"Sam, I'm sorry for w-."

"No. I'm the one who should be sorry."

Danny let out a sigh of relief.

"Sorry I ever believed you. Happy anniversary." She continued bitterly.

"Sam, wait." He said as she ran off, but she didn't want to listen. "FINE! I don't need you!" He yelled, but it was only a front. He needed her more than a rose needs the sun, more than a fish needs the water. And it affected the rest of his day. He stayed home all day, didn't eat much of his dinner, and tossed and turned all night, dozing off every now and then. Finally, he looked over at the clock. 11: 45 PM. Enough time to write Sam a love letter. Grabbing a pen and paper, he wrote down all his feelings for her.

"Dear Sam,

As Shakespeare once said, 'The course of true love never did run smooth.' I need you. I need you like a garden needs the sun, or like an arch needs a pillar. You are the moon that lights my way in a cold and wintry night. I only ask one thing, and if you say 'no', it will destroy me. I ask for your forgiveness. I miss you, Sam. All day long I couldn't sleep or eat, I couldn't even think straight. I need you. I love you.

Yours forever,

Danny"

With that, he grabbed a CD she gotten him for their first anniversary that ended with their song. Ordinarily Sam wasn't a fan of the group in question, or of slow music, but that was one song she actually liked. Danny did admit it was a pretty good song. Danny tore off the page on hid page-a-day calendar he got for Christmas, revealing a page saying "November 29th" with a circle Danny had drawn around the number; went ghost, and flew off to pay Sam a surprise visit.

When he got to her window, he phased through. Just to make sure, whether or not Sam was in there, he created an ecto-orb that let off a gentle green glow. Sure enough, Sam was sound asleep. Danny put the CD into her player and selected the final song, then he placed the note on her pillow in front of her face so she could see it when she woke up.

"Sam… Sam…" he whispered, still intangible, into her ear ever so gently. "Wake up, Sam."

"Danny? Are you there?"

No answer.

"Huh, that's weird, I could have sworn I heard his voice. What's this?" she asked, seeing the note. Danny could see tear welling in her eyes. She put down the note and walked to the window, leaning on the windowsill with her arms folded. All of a sudden, her CD player clicked on, playing one of her favorite songs. Their song.

"I mean every word of it, Sam." Danny said, appearing behind her, still in his ghost form.

"Then why were you kissing Valerie?"

"We were fighting Skulker and she got knocked out. I was giving her mouth-to-mouth."

Danny may have lied to others about his ghost self, but Sam knew he was telling the truth. There was such sincerity in his those twin emerald stars buried under that mound of snow.

"I'm so sorry I ever doubted you."

"I forgive you. May I have this dance?" he asked, holding out his righthand.

"I accept" she said, pressing against him, putting his left hand on her waist and holding his other in the air. She felt is hand slide towards the small of her back. It felt good. No, it felt… _right_. She closed her eyes, and left her head come to rest on his shoulders.

"I love you, Sam."

She sighed contentedly.

"I love you, too."

His emeralds met with her amethysts. They kissed. Deeply. Passionately. Longingly. They broke only when the song ended.

"What say you and I go for a flight?" He asked.

"To where?"

"I hear the park is beautiful at night."

"Okay, I'll go. Let me get a coat first, it's cold out."

"Ready?" He asked when she had found one.

"Ready." She said, putting it on and grabbing his side.

"Then let's go." He said, grabbing her by the waist. Pretty soon they were flying over every building in town.

"By the way," she wondered, "where did you get that Sakespeare quote from"?

"Remember last year, when we read 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' in English class?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I read that quote, thought it was good stuff, and wrote it down, now HANG ON!" he said as he performed an amazing, death defying nose-dive, grazing the tops of some trees as they passed over them. Sam was so enthralled, she let out a huge whoop, which frightened some nearby owls. Unfortunately the owls were right in their flight path, undetected until it was too late. Surprised, Danny dropped Sam, only realizing what happened when he heard her hit the ground with a loud, sickening thud.

"Sam?"

No answer .

"SAM!'

He flew down to her side, but he knew from the position of her head that it was too late.

"SAAAAAAAAAAM! Why? How could this have happened?" He asked, voice choked with tears, cradling her body.

(Please don't stop without reading the next chapter)


	2. Chapter 2

"What should I do? I know. I'll go to Clockwork!" he said, flying homeward.

Well, here we are." He said, stopping in the Ghost Zone before what looked like a huge grandfather clock.

"Better go in."

Inside, the house was like a cross between mansion and a clock's interior workings.

"Hello? Clockwork?"

"Yes, what is it?" Asked a floating baby wearing a robe in a deep voice.

"I need you to change the past so that Sam never discovers me giving mouth-to-mouth to Valerie."

"Absolutely not." Replied the old man.

"You of all people should know what changing the future can do."

"I don't care. I want Sam back, I _need_ her back."

"I'm afraid I must insist. I'm sorry."

Danny left, feeling rather dejected. _Wait,__I__there's__one__other__ghost__I__can__talk__to,__although__I__may__not__like__it.__It__looks__like__I'm__just__going__to__have__to__bite__the__bullet__and__ask__her._ He thought.

It seemed like an hour before he finally found her.

"Yes, what is it?"

"Desiree, I wish Sam was alive again."

"I no longer grant wishes based on love."

"What? Why not?"

"If I can't have love, no one can."

"That's not fair!"

"I'll say what's not fair! The fact that for over 2,000 years, I have been granting many love related wishes, receiving none in return."

Brokenhearted over his lost love, he went out to face the world with the knowledge that he'd never look into those deep, purple eyes again, never again going to feel her press against him as they danced to their song, nevermore was he going to feel those lips like pink velvet against his, never would they grow old together. He was just about to enter the normal world when he heard a voice.

"Good morning, child."

"Whatever it is, Skulker, just get it over with. It doesn't matter anymore. Nothing does."

"You make this too easy." Skulker said, blasting Danny back to our world. Danny remained cognizant long enough to hear someone running downstairs.


	3. Chapter 3

Danny sat bolt upright in bed, drenched in sweat. _Someone must have rescued me from Skulker._ _I still can't believe Sam's gone. _As if it would bring his lost love back, he flew to her home and perched on her window, not noticing anything in the room.

"Oh, Sam. Oh, Sam, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have done what I did. It's all my fault. I'm so sorry."

"You should be."

"WHAT!" Danny exclaimed, nearly falling off the window from sock.

"You heard me. You should be sorry for what I caught you doing with… with _her._" She said from her window.

"Sam, I love you. I love you more than life itself. I would never, _ever_ cheat on you. I was merely administering mouth-to-mouth to Valerie. She got knocked out when we were fighting Skulker. Please, _please_ forgive me. I love you, Sam."

She knew he'd never lie to her. She knew him too well.

"I love you, too." She said. As he turned around to face, he drew her lily-white face close to his, kissing like they never kissed before. Before we leave this heartwarming scene, let me leave you with a few words from "A Midsummer Night's Dream":

If we shadows have offended,

Think but this, and all is mended:

That you have but slumbered here

As these visions did appear,

And this weak and idle theme

No more yielding but a dream.

Gentles, do not reprehend:

If you pardon we will mend.

And as I'm an honest Puck,

If we have unearned luck.

Now to 'scape the serpent's tongue,

We will make amends ere long.

Else the Puck a liar call.

So goodnight unto you all.

Give me your hands, if we be friends,

And Robin shall restore amends.


End file.
